Vince Szymkowiak Comments
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Hello Craig,
Yes we are going to fight the battle against sin all the days of our lives. Spiritual progress can be made and Christians can overcome sinful habits. But we will continue to battle the temptations and thoughts of the mind. That is why Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to be "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." Paul describes his personal inner battle againist sin in Romans 7:18-25: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. " He goes on to admit, verse 24: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" His answer is found in verse 25, which is our personal answer as well. Verse 25: "I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
Even though our struggle remains, through Jesus Christ we will be delivered from our sinful nature.
Hello Stephen,
Ezekiel 37 says that those coming up in the second resurrection will be given physical life.
Notice verses 5-10, which speak of these dry bones being given sinews, flesh, skin and breath, that is the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Isaiah 65:20 is the scripture that the Church has used over the years to point to the possibility that the time period of judging these vast billions of people will be 100 years. The Church however, does not teach this as a dogmatic statement. It is nonetheless, quite interesting as Isaiah is talking about a time in the glorious future that is coming.
Yes, Tyler, I agree that Isaiah 65:20 is the scripture that the Church has used over the years to point to the possibility that the time period of judging these vast billions of people will be 100 years. The Church however, does not teach this as a dogmatic statement. It is nonetheless, quite interesting as Isaiah is talking about a time in the glorious future that is coming.
My thanks to Skip for his insightful comments. No matter how they present it, Christmas has it roots in paganism. And sadly, Christian leaders actually rejected the holy days of God as we find in Leviticus 23. Christ told His brothers to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, John 7 and Paul told the Gentile Christians in Corinth to keep Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread, 1 Corinthians 5: 7-8 and chapter 11: 23-34. I encourage you to pray to God for the strength to have that conversation with your family; that while you deeply love them, you will not be observing Xmas with them this year. May God bless you in your walk of faith.
Vince Szymkowiak
Thank you for your comment, Clorra. Yes, the article is about God's Spring Holy days as explained in Leviticus 23: 4-8 and observed in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 5: 7-8. It is not about Easter, an ancient pagan counterfeit of the true resurrection of Jesus. How sad it is that the greatest event of all time -- the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is wrongly connected with such practices as coloring Easter eggs and eating chocolate rabbits. We can rejoice in the reading of His promise: "Because I live, you will will live also! (John 14:19).
This is the kind of article we all need to read! It puts our focus on the real future, and helps us to put our trust in the only One who will bring lasting peace and happiness. Peter helps us to focus not on our 401 K, 403 B or other retirement funds, but upon the coming kingdom of God. May God hasten that day!
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Hello Sandra,
Exodus 12:15 says: "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. " It is of great importance that we follow God's instructions here in Exodus. Indeed, the apostle Paul instructed the New Testament Gentile Christians in Corinth: "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8). And, as our "Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God" booklet (pg. 36) states: “By eating unleavened bread during this time instead, we picture living a life of sincerity and truth, free from sin.” If you would like further information on this subject, click on this link: https://ucgweb.s3.amazonaws.com/files/papers/ucg-paper-the-feast-of-unleavened-bread.pdf. The paper is titled "The Feast of Unleavened Bread."